Method of making hoops



Patented July 22, 193() UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE JOSEIVH I-I. 1.3OW1l/TAN,` OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN STEEL BAND COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, `CORJ?OIRHA'IITIOIT OF NEW JERSEY METHOD OF MAKING HOOPS- Application mea July 29,

This invention relates to the manufacture of metal hoops for barrels, kegs, and the like.`

An object of the invention is to produce hoops for barrels from sheet metal' by an improved process permitting the painting of the hoops while the metaliis in sheetf-orm, and also permitting the punching of the hoop blanks while still in the plate. Other objects and advantagesy of the invention will be apparent to those familiar with the art from the following specification. l

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l shows a rough cut sheet of steel or other suitable metal as normally delivered from the mill; Fig. 2 shows the sheetof Fig. l, the dotted lines indicating the trimming of the edges that has taken place to square up the sides of the sheet and reduceit to the exact width desired; Fig. 3 shows the sheet of Fig. 2 punched, squared and sized at both ends; Fig. 4 shows the sheet of Fig. 3 after slitting into a plurality of individual perforated strips or hoop blanks; Fig. 5 shows a hoop after `passing through a bending and bead-form ing machine ready for riveting; and Fig. G`

is a cross-section on the line VI--VI of Fig. 5,l

showing the beading applied to one edge of the hoop.

In the manufacture. of hoops for nail kegs,

' barrels, and the like it is desirable for purposes of reinforcement and to give smooth outer edges, to bead one edge of the hoop. It is also desirable to paint the hoops, to reduce corrosion, and for other purposes. Such hoops'are made of blanks cut to proper length and width, and perforated at each end so that rivets may be passed through the overlapping perforations when the strip is bent to hoop form.

The method of manufacture employed prior to the present invention has been to make the blanks of what is known as strip steel. This is purchased from the steel mill in strips of the proper width for making a 'f hoop and of a length of several'hundred feet.

Such strips come in coils. The long strips are unwound, cut to proper lengths for making a single hoop, these are individually perforated at each end, and then beaded.

In recent years there has grown up a de- 1929. serial No. 382,954.

mand for the paint-ing of such hoops prior to their use upon barrels. This has presented a very diliicult problem, as the painting of the beaded hoops after formation required an expensive dipping or spraying operation, and the paint may either not get into the portion under the bead, or else may collect and stay there in 'an undesired thickness. 1 On the other hand the painting of `the individual strips requires a preliminary,'unwinding of the strips for passage thereof through a paint bath, or else the individual dippingvof the hoop blanks after theyhave been severed from the strip. 1 i The difcnlties encountered in painting such hoops as they have been manufactured prior to the present invention have been such that it has been considered commercial-ly impractical to provide hoops of thekind described in this application in painted form.` Furthermore the manufacture of hops `from strip steel, requiring the individual severing and perforation of each hoop length has been comparatively expensive. `The present invention, which comprises the preliminary painting of large sheets, the punching of each end of the sheets simultaneously for all hoop blanks that are to be cut therefrom,andthe subsequent beading of the individual strips, has resulted in material economies of manufacture, and in addition has made commercially possible the painting of bo'thsides-of the beaded metal hoops at a price lthat is not prohibitive. i

In carrying out the invention metal sheets of proper gage, substantiallyA the length of the hoop blanks desired, and preferably of the width of a multiple ofthe hoop widths, are purchased from sheet mills. S' One distinct advantage in the use of such sheet'metal as compared to strips, is that the plates are rolled by a1 much larger number of-'mills and are therefore more generally available and obtainable than strips. In addition the plates can be shippedmore compactly than the coils of strips, Vand therefore take a lower freight rate. Y`

Sheet steel as receivedfrom the mill is not always 'exactly 'dimensioned VThe sheets as received, as for example the one marked S in Fig. l, are rst painted by running them through a paint bath, or in Contact with rolls a portion of which dips into the paint bath. By such means one or both sides of the sheets are painted. The sheets are then passed through a drier` so that they may be handled for further operations.

The next step is to place the sheet S in a suitable shear, having means for accurately positioning and holding it, and to trim it to reduce the sides l, 2 to exact parallelism, and the sheet S, to a width that is exactly a multiple of the width of the hoop blanks desired.

The next step is shown in Fig. 3, and consists in simultaneously trimming oit an end 3 of the sheet S2 to exactly square the end as compared to the sides l and 2 previously trimmed. At the same time perforations il, so positioned that they will fall in the middle line ot the hoop blanks that are to be made from the plate, are punched. Then the sheet is reversed and the other end 5 is trimmed ott", and perforations 6 simultaneously made.

Thereafter the squared, accurately-dimensioned, perforated sheet is run through a slitter which divides the sheet or plate along lines halt way between the lines of the perforations l and 0,'and produces a plurality of hoop blanks 7, the number depending upon the width ot the sheet and the width ot the individual hoop blanks.

The next step is to take the individual hoop blanks 7, and to run them through a machine which turns over one edge to form a bead 8, as shown in Figs. 4.5 and 6. This operation also bends the blank 7 up into substantially circular form, as shown in Fig. 5. In this torni they are counted and tied into bundles. Generally these bands are shipped to the user who completes the hoop by riveting the two superposed ends together throughV the perforations 4 and 6. y

By the process above described the following advantages are obtained: (a) the hoop blanks may be purchased in sheet form, the sheets being selected of such width and length as to produce a minimum of scrap in subsequently dividing to form the individual blank; (o) the steel in sheet form is more readily' obtainable, at lower prices, and may be shipped atl lower rates than coiled strip steel; (c) the sheets may be more economically handled in painting operations; (ci) the ends of a large number ot the hoop blanks may be simultaneously perforated while in the original sheet form by a single machine operation; (e) the squared, sized, painted. perforated sheet may then by a single opera-` tion be slit into completed individual hoop blanks ready for the subsequent beading .op-' erations.

I claim: l K

l. The proeessof making met-al hoops comprising accurately sizing sheets of metal ot proper gage to a length equal to that of the hoop blanks desired, and to a width constituting a multiple of the width of the hoop blanks desired, pertorating the ends of the sheets at points adapted to lie in the ends ot' resultant hoop blanks, then slitting the sheets between pertorations to proper width for forming` the hoop blanks and so as to include perforations in each end thereof, and then individually beading the hoop blanks.

2. The process ot making metal hoops comprising sizing sheets of metal of proper gage to a length equal to that of the hoop blanks desired, and to a width constituting a multiple oi? the width of the hoop blanks desired, pain"- ing and drying the sheets, periorating the ends of the sheets at points adapted to lie in the ends oi' resultant hoop blanks, then slittingr the sheets to proper width for forming the hoops and so as to include periorations in each end thereof, and then individually beading the hoop blanks.

Tn testimony whereof, sign my name.

JOSEPH H. BOWMAN.

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